Book excerpt: This book presents the third persona of Maurice Chapelan, Aymé Dubois-Jolly, and the four romans galants he published between 1978 and 1983. As its title suggests, the work considers the themes of love and laughter in the novels. Just as l’amour and l’humour have much in common, so do “love” and “laughter”. Though the love in question is almost always of the unashamedly erotic kind, often expressed in explicit terms, the whole is redeemed by its many comic elements, usually couched in perfect, elegant prose. Furthermore, we find in Dubois-Jolly’s writing more than an occasional nod to the works of the literary and philosophical giants of the eighteenth century. These romans libertins of the twentieth century will appeal to any reader who has appreciated the work of such authors as Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau and Sade.